Bills Have a Von Miller Problem; Trade Incoming to Clear Cap Space?

The Buffalo Bills have a Von Miller-sized problem on their roster. Is an offseason trade a realistic way to manage their cap space?

As the Buffalo Bills tread the murky waters of the 2024 offseason, fans will see that the cap is, in fact, real. It’s malleable and at times escapable, but Buffalo’s roster is aging and expensive, and the ramifications of that are tangible.

On Monday, the Bills voided the contracts of several veterans, most importantly defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and safety Micah Hyde. They’ll lose out on edge rushers Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa as well, further gutting a pass rush that lacked a truly dominant asset.

The unit shouldn’t be without a superstar, given the six-year, $120 million contract handed to edge rusher Von Miller but that ship has sailed.

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Miller’s recovery from ACL surgery wasn’t as fruitful as Buffalo had hoped. He was woefully ineffective, and while that can be par for the course given his quick return, he wasn’t much better down the stretch (at least until the playoffs).

He failed to record a sack in his 12 regular season games and found just 13 pressures. His missed tackle of Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon loomed large in Buffalo’s mid-season struggles.

His contract is likely to catch some attention this offseason, especially given how the Bills’ backs are against the cap wall. However, it isn’t particularly easy to get out of.

Cutting Miller, presumably with a post-June 1 designation, would create more than $17 million in dead cap while clearing less than $7 million. There’s some restructuring that can be done, but at some point, the paper must be paid.

There’s been speculation about a trade, too. Trading Miller with a post-June 1 designation would be optimal, creating $6.374 million in dead money and over $17 million in savings. But it takes two to trade, and shopping a 35-year-old edge rusher coming off of a disastrous season isn’t exactly selling high.

If anything, Miller’s contract is the type that teams give up legitimate draft capital to get out of. Perhaps the most notable example of this maneuver was when the Houston Texans traded quarterback Brock Osweiler, a second-round pick, and a sixth-round pick for a fourth-round selection.

The Osweiler contract blew up in Houston’s face, much like Miller’s is trending to do.

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At this point, a trade feels unlikely, and in any case, Buffalo is positioned to give up better draft capital than the pick they’d receive to rid themselves of the deal. Simply put, sometimes contracts don’t work out and a win-now move backfires.

The Miller contract is actively hurting the Bills, but the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t as close – or as bright – as offseason hypotheticals may suggest.